1.179.1 Instance variables

variable <- access: {none,send,get,both}

The variable<-access attribute of a variable defines the side-effect-free methods that are associated:

none	No methods, only access via object<->slot
get	Get access, only write through object->slot
send	Send access, only read through object<-slot
both	Both read and write access

If a variable requires side-effects for writing (the most common case), it should be declared with variable<-access: read and a send_method with the same name should be defined on the class. This method may write the variable using object->slot.

variable-group: [name]

Conceptual group of variable. Used by the online manual and to structure the reference manual.

variable <- offset: int

Offset in instance structure. See also slot<-object and‘class variable<-instance_variables’.

variable <-> summary: string*

Summary documentation. Used by the reference manual (online and paper).

variable <- type: type

Type of object that should be used to fill the instance variable. Checked when an attempt is made to write the variable. The method object->_check may be used to validate the object base. Part of its job is checking the consistency of the values of instance variables.

See also variable->send, type<-check and type<-convert.